09/04/2025
Fruit is ripe on the trees and bears are in their hyperphagia state preparing for winter hibernation. We will likely soon see mother bears wander into town or close to it in order to take advantage of the fruit bearing trees many people have growing in their yards.
Did you know that while mother black bears have occasionally been reported to attack humans in defense of their cubs, there are no known fatal attacks perpetrated by female bears with cubs in Ontario? In fact, statistics show that all fatal black bear attacks within Ontario on record in which the bear was located were committed by male black bears that had turned predatory.
Did you know that there are also no known fatal black bear attacks in urban or rural areas of Ontario? All recorded fatal attacks took place in remote areas of the province where bears are not familiar with people.
Since 1968, there have been 7 fatal black bear attacks with 10 fatalities in Ontario. As mentioned above, all were in remote areas and none involved mothers with cubs.
The first recorded attack actually took place in 1881, but the bear was caught in a trap. It is believed this was a defensive attack rather than predatory as when the trapper encountered the bear in his trap, he was only armed with an axe and attempted to kill the bear with it. Both the trapper and the bear lost their lives in this encounter.
As for attacks perpetrated by mother bears with cubs, the majority are actually 'bluff' charges that result in no physical contact, but have been called attacks by the people involved.
In over 50% of actual attacks by mother bears that involved physical altercations and injury, off-leash dogs were involved, especially in rural settings.
While out walking your dogs at this time of year, keep your dogs on leash and under control. Putting bear bells on the collar is also a good idea because it gives bears a heads up you are in the area and they may quietly leave before you reach their location.
When out on walks, keep a careful eye on your environment. Watch for bear s**t, paw prints, areas that appear to be trampled by animals, berry bushes and other possible food sources. Leashed dogs and dogs confined in yards can be a good deterrent for bears because the bears will smell and hear the dogs, and most often they will leave the area.
Most attacks by black bears were a result of humans or their dogs getting too close and the bear reacting defensively. Injuries in these cases were often minor and these situations were often easily avoidable. If you encounter a black bear, respect its space and keep your distance.
Fatal attacks in Ontario have never involved 'nuisance' or 'campground' bears who come close in search of easy food sources.
If you do not wish to have bears in your yards, there are many things you can do to discourage bears from entering. Keeping the barbecue clean, putting bird feeders away, keeping garbage out of reach, picking up fallen fruit from your yard, and picking the fruit from your trees. Making noise such as banging on pots and pans can drive them away.
Whether defensive or predatory in nature, fatal attacks are extremely rare in Ontario and across North America. Predatory attacks themselves are uncommon. As of 2025 going back to 1784 in all of North America, there are only 67 fatal attacks perpetrated by black bears on record. The majority of black bear encounters in Ontario have not ended in physical altercations and there are less than 12 non-fatal attacks occurring each year across all of North America.
A study done between 2000-2017 showed that of the non-fatal attacks from black bears in all of North America, 52% were defensive, 33% were food motivated and only 15% were predatory motivated.
There are approximately 900 000 black bears in North America and as of 2016 the estimated black bear population in Ontario is 105 000.
Despite the high chances of seeing a black bear, the chances of being injured or killed by one are extremely rare.
Please remember that the majority of bears aren't interested in harming or killing you or your family members, friends or neighbours. They are just passing through on their quest for food before they take their long winter's nap. Most often, they are more afraid of you than you are of them.
